Fatigue

Before I get into it let’s talk about fatigue. We know that fatigue is something we need to regulate if we won’t to perform out best. Also, if we want to be safe.

There are two different types of fatigue. One is neural in nature. The other is metabolic in nature. This is the systemic fatigue I speak of.

What does neural fatigue mean? It means down-regulation of alpha- and beta-receptors or decreasing the release of catecholamines. This means decreased nervous system fuction. You lift a heavy weight and you cause some nervous system fatigue. It doesn’t matter what exercise. Just more complex movements mean more fatigue. Bench one day can effect your deads or squats the next. We established that before.

Rip says in the book about the speed work being light since it is only half the load and therefore it’s no big deal. Like it has no effect on you. As if everything has to do with total load. Bullshit. How do you lift a light load as quickly as possible? By calling on as many motor units as possible as quickly as possible. How do you lift a very heavy load at any speed? By calling on as many motor units as possible as quickly as possible. They sound very similar in that way don’t they?

Also, what Rip says about the light loads meaning no injury just because they are light? Well, in fact, when you compare traditional slow strength work with ANY TYPE of work that involvles acceleration you get more injuries with the latter. He really should know better than to make a statement like that (it’s one of the things that really disappoints me about the book). Stress on joints is not just related to total load on the joints. In some cases total load can paly a heightened role due to body positioning and mechanics. But the actual load on the joints themselves is a function of acceleration. If you lift 50 pounds super super fast the load on the affected joints is MUCH more than 50 pounds. The more you accelerate the more the load. Not to mention the potential herky-jerky nature of it. But I digress.

I’ve discussed the similarities between maximal loads and maximal speed training. In fact they are two example of the THREE primary types of strength training. Maximal strength, maximal instensity, and maximal work. So maximal strength is using near-maximal loads for low reps for every how many sets. Maximal intensity uses sub-maximal loads for maximal acceleration. The only on left that I haven’t discussed yet is maximal work. Maximal work is sub-maximal loads with a high volume of training. Now I know this is old stuff to you except that I doubt you have ever put it together in the way that I’m doing now.

How do maximal strength and maximal intensity (heavy work and speed work) affect fatigue? The answer is IN VERY SIMILAR WAYS. They both result in very high fatigue that dissipates after a brief period. Maximal intensity won’t cause as much fatigue at first but it will catch up very quickly.

At first maximal strength should follow after speed work, since you will get more fatigue from maximal strength work so it you did the heavy work first you wouldn’t be able to improve your speed work very quickly. But as you progress I would in the end always put maximal strength work first. When that time is we cannot be sure and technically you can do either when you are very advanced. But I would do maximal strength work first simply because it works better and there is less potential for injury.

Maximal work causes lower levels of fatigue than either of the others, but the fatigue lasts longer. Since the recovery and thus the fitness after-affect with maxmal strength and maximal intensity kicks in faster it shunts aside the fatigue somewhat. Whereas the fatigue from maximal work is pretty much immediate. This tells us that maximal strength and maximal intensity should always come before maximal work in a single training week. Or a single training day, for that matter.

Logically, heavy work and speed work can even come on the same day at the appropriate volume.

So you have at first

• Maximal intensity (speed work)
• Maximal strength (heavy work)
• Maximal work

It’s the same whether it’s a single training week or everything done in a single training day. Later on the first and second will be reversed.

The good thing about putting speed work earlier than maximal strength work is because of what I said before, also. At first, the fatigue after-affect will be both of lesser magnitude and it will have larger and quicker fitness gains which actually have the capacity to help the maximal strength work. Maximal strength work can actually have this effect on maximal work work but here the relationship is even stronger because of the similar nature. Remember what I told you about my own training, where I would gain strength so fast from my maximal work earlier in the week that I would be using similar weights for the volume work later (the routine format helped). Well, this kind of thing should be stronger for speed work to maximal strength work.

So that's enough, I think, for now.